


love is a rose but you better not pick it

by heterocosmica



Series: 15 minute fics [1]
Category: Better Off Ted
Genre: Blood, Fifteen Minute Fic, Gen, Ted is with Linda, Ted/Veronica is only hinted at, Veronica Palmer's POV, Veronica might have a feeling or two, but shhhhh don't tell her, regular veridian dynamics stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-06 22:25:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heterocosmica/pseuds/heterocosmica
Summary: Veronica Palmer breaks a nail.





	love is a rose but you better not pick it

**Author's Note:**

> Done for the 15 minute fics prompt word #16 on pillowfort.

Her middle finger nail breaks that morning. Veronica looks at it with her usual stoicism, feeling exhaustion down to her bones. Her eyes track the blood slowly dripping into the coffee cup on the counter in front of her and she thinks:  
“The company should really be making something that instantly fixes nail breaks. I will put Ted on it.”  
And:  
“Today is going to be a bitch of a day.”  
At the same time. Because she's a multifaceted person with a brain faster than the speed of light. Obviously.

*

As she puts on a bandaid to cover the horrific proof that she occasionally uses her hands to...do things, she thinks about Rose. She picks a pink bandaid with some cartoon character on it and wonders if she should send out the “take your daughter to work day” department memo for the sixth time this month. Then she remembers Ted saying some ridiculous thing about children having to go to school and decides against it. Just in case he does happen to bring Rose, though, she slips a brand new pack of pink and purple butterfly clips (that fly! and also maybe breathe fire at your enemies) into her bag.

*

Walking into the building, she sees Ted and Linda side by side in the elevator. She takes a full minute trying to decide if it's wise to join the two of them in such a small place while they're looking at each other like that. In the end, she really has no better option so she does. She also discreetly searches for Rose behind Ted. Rose, however, isn't there , so she has to spend the agonising 5 minutes keeping her hand behind her back and trying to avoid speaking to Linda about wedding plans. It's not like she has time for such sentimentality.

*

Before she walks into her office, she turns to Ted and says  
“I want a way to instantly fix a broken nail.”

“We can do that.”  
Ted says with his usual grin.  


Once the door closes behind her, she briskly walks to her desk, unlocks the bottom left drawer, and slides the pack of butterfly clips (made from real butterflies!) next to the shifting glitter diary (that scans your retinas to open). Rose's voice from a couple of months ago echoes in her head  
“You know, it's funny, dad's marrying Linda but I always thought he was going to marry you.”  


With a scoff, she slamms the drawer closed and turns the lock, saying to herself  
“Children, they're so stupid.”  


Her finger pulses under the pink bandaid.


End file.
